One Day More
by CosplaySpazz
Summary: [spoilers] Ishimaru can't believe that Mondo could be the culprit of the second murder, and even after his guilt has been proven, decides to stand by his side. Based off of an anonymous request on tumblr, "Prompt: Monobear finds Ishimaru's pleading amusing so allows him to spend an entire day with Mondo before his execution." Also on ao3 under the same title.
1. Part One

"No! You need to stop! No no no no no no this isn't right this can't be! There must be a mistake. This wasn't Mondo's doing. It couldn't have been!" Ishimaru pled, hands firmly attached to the edges of Mondo's jacket, refusing to acknowledge that it would be to no avail.

"Just go to the vote, get it over with." Mondo said calmly, refusing to look Ishimaru in the eyes.

"Now time to move this trial onwards, and get the ball rolling. Everyone, take a vote." Monobear announced, much to the despair of Ishimaru, who was obviously having a breakdown. "Pick a classmate, although at this point, I'm sure the culprit is obvious."

Rushing towards Monobear in his first act of defiance against the small principal, his eyes well with tears and a fresh wave of pleas escape "Please no, no, no no, this cannot be. Stop! This vote is incorrect; Mondo could not possibly be the culprit."

Monobear counted up the votes and let out an 'Upupupupupup', "After a not-so-unanimous vote, Mondo Oowada has been pinned the culprit. Good job on saving your own skin, you bastards, although your classmate Ishimaru voted for himself. Majority rules saved him."

"It wasn't Mondo! My kyodai wouldn't do this, he isn't guilty of these crimes, there's no way. Please, this can't…" a heaving sob escapes, drowning his words and hurting his chest. His words drift off as a good many more tears spill from his watery eyes. His first real friend couldn't be dying, couldn't be about to die. This had to be prevented.

"It was me. I did it." Mondo confirmed, face white as a sheet at this point, any fierce exterior lost. Betrayal coursed through Ishimaru, but it was overpowered by the need to defend Mondo at all costs. He wouldn't have killed Chihiro if they hadn't been placed in this situation in the first place.

As their classmates look on with varied states of sadness and worry at what would soon play out during the gang leader's execution, Ishimaru moved towards Mondo again, grabbing his hand. More tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, but he stood firm, trying to sort out everything.

His unusual laugh playing out again, Monobear spoke up "Upupupupupu, your despair, Ishimaru, it befits you. It would be a shame to stifle such despair so soon. You have one day. Your blubbering has earned you one day. The stipulation is that you must spend the time with Oowada The only reason being that it amuses me. In exactly twenty four hours, you will view your so-called kyodai be executed in the most spectacular way yet."

This news should have brought a smile to Ishimaru's face, or a proper response, but there was none. There should have been joy at a full day left of life for his only friend, but he couldn't manage it. All he could do was cling to Mondo's arm and attempt to steady his breathing.

"A day?" Mondo asked, dubious.

"You have a 24 hour period to spend before your execution, yes. A little less than 24 at this point, go on, return to your lives." The bear aimed the last part towards the rest of the students gathered.

As their classmates shuffle out of the room, confusion across most of their faces, Mondo drags Ishimaru along, bars his teeth, and says "You didn't need to go about defendin' me, alright? I'm guilty, I did it, and now I have to live with the shame for another day. Because of you."

This hostility certainly wasn't something Ishimaru was prepared for; he withdrew his arm from where it had been clinging on Mondo's. "I-I didn't mean for… I only meant to…" he was shaking now, trying to stifle his emotions and return to a steady state.

"No, shhhhh." Mondo soothed, changing his words from bitter to calming. "I'm sorry, I just… I was able to hold a brave face for a while and I'll have to do it again later, it's… taxing."

Sniffling, Ishimaru raised his arm to take a look at his watch. "There are a few minutes until ten o'clock; we should go to our rooms." He announced wearily. He didn't think he could keep himself upright for more than a few minutes, anyway.

"'S where I was headed, yeah." The deep sense of foreboding as to what his execution may be kept him tense on the walk back to their rooms. They reached Mondo's before Ishi's, so he bade the other a good night and entered, not bothering to lock the door, seeing as he was a dead man walking anyway.

Carefully removing his jacket and placing it on the back of a chair, he readied for a long night of what would probably be tossing and turning with little to no actual rest. After donning a pair of sweatpants, the doorbell rang. Figuring it'd be someone wishing to confront him regarding Chihiro, he sighed "Door's open." He called, before recalling the soundproof tendencies of the school. Making his way over to the door, he opened it to reveal Ishimaru.

"Kyodai, I-" his words were drowned out by an undignified snort as Mondo took in the pajamas the other was decked out in.

"You're wearing Batman pajamas." Mondo scoffs, appraising the sleepwear the other had adorned. A short sleeved gray shirt with the yellow oval and black symbol in the center, as per the normal Batman insignia, and long pants with the insignia patterned all over. Not something Mondo would have pegged the hall monitor to wear.

"It was a gift from my younger brother. He admires heroes and I received this last Christmas," was the simple response.

"Whatever." Mondo waved it off "I thought you were dead tired? Go sleep in your dorky pajamas or whatever. 'S none of my business."

"I was attempting to go through my nightly routine to prepare for sleep when Monobear appeared. That's why I'm here. I've been informed by Monobear that for your remaining day I must be by your side. Short of intervals wherein one of us requires use of the restroom, I am to accompany you. It was one of the stipulations of your extra day. May I come in?" he inquired following the explanation.

Noticing they were still standing at the door, Mondo nodded, scratching the back of his neck "Y-yeah, sure, come on in." he closed the door behind Ishimaru and sighed. "Take the bed." He decided to offer.

"No, I couldn't impose! I'm only here due to Monobear's orders. You can sleep as you normally would."

"Fine, whatever. I'm tired, though, so I'm sleepin'" he collapsed onto the bed, running his hands through his hair and letting it all fall down loose past his shoulders.

"Are you going to go through the proper procedure of brushing your teeth?" Ishimaru inquired. "Oral hygiene is key."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm dying tomorrow. Hygienic practices aren't exactly high on my to-do list." Mondo sighed, closing his eyes.

"Then what is on your to-do list?" Ishimaru asked, taking a seat on the chair Mondo had previously draped his jacket on the back of. He set the pillow he'd brought from his own room on his lap.

Mondo considered jokingly replying 'You', but his face became pink-tinged with only the thought of saying it aloud. "Getting some rest. I'd love to be doing that." He snapped, closing his eyes. A sharp intake of breath from the other opened them again.

"My apologies, kyodai. I shall let you rest." He looked down at his feet, which were bare.

"You're like a restless spirit!" Mondo grumbles, pushing himself off of the bed. "I'll brush my teeth." 'No ulterior motives here. None at all.' Mondo ponders as Ishimaru grinned at his retreating figure.

Standing at the counter, he brushes his teeth with a bit more force than necessary. Returning to the room he asks "Why don't we share?" Ishimaru's eyes were on him as soon as the words left his mouth. "I mean, well, it's a decent sized bed and you can't just sit there 'til morning…"

"It's an agreeable proposition," He nodded, letting out an unexpected yawn, "I accept."

Flopping down on the bed, Mondo shifted to one side, allowing plenty of room for Ishimaru. In an attempt to make himself comfortable, Ishimaru curled up on his left side, facing away from Mondo. Content with the arrangement, Ishimaru's breathing evened out and he fell asleep quickly.

When Mondo was positive the other boy was unlikely to be woken, he wrapped his right arm around him possessively, giving him a kiss on the back of the neck before drowsiness overtook and he fell into a very restful slumber.


	2. Part Two

Ishimaru woke to warmth cloaking him. It was nice for a moment, before he realized that he had to get ready for the coming day.

"Mondo," Ishimaru prodded his arm, "it's time to face the day."

Mumbling incoherently, Mondo buried his face in Ishimaru's neck. At that, his ears turned a bright red. Struggling to untangle himself from the arms attempting to keep him in bed, he decided on the proper way to wake the gang leader.

"Mondo Oowada, get up right now!" he demanded at a much louder volume once he could stand.

Blinking profusely, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?" he grabbed Ishimaru's watch from the table, squinting to read it, pushing his unkempt hair out of the way. "Six thirty? Aw hell, let me go back to bed!" he complains indignantly.

"No. You are to accompany me to my room so I can get ready. I will not be late as you typically are." Ishimaru states passionately. "No matter the occasion, I will strive to be on time."

"We have until ten!" Mondo groans, covering his face with his pillow.

"I'm accustomed to waking at an early hour, and I'm positive you can manage it for once!" Ishimaru scolded.

Pressing the pillow closer to his face, Mondo groaned and said "Insufferable, adorable idiot!" but all Ishimaru heard was 'idiot' due to the proximity of the pillow to Mondo's face. Eyes narrowing, he pulled the pillow from Mondo and hit him with it.

"Up!" he demanded. "I will not allow your last day to be spent like this.

"Oh for the love of… Fine! You've got it, I'm up." He rose from his previous position and raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "Let me get ready first."

He disappeared into the bathroom and returns a few minutes later with hair styled in the same ridiculous way it is every other day. As Mondo changed from sleepwear to his typical get-up, Ishimaru politely averted his eyes. Donning his coat, Mondo glances at Ishimaru, who's still staring at the floor. "You comin'?" he prompted.

"Ye-yes." He retrieved his pillow, which now faintly smelled of Mondo. "My key?" he held his hand out, noticing Mondo had it in his hand.

Passing the key to Ishimaru, he opened the door. The hallway wasn't empty, however. As they made their way to Ishimaru's room they passed Aoi.

"Good morning Asahina." Ishimaru greeted.

Her only response was an uncharacteristically quiet "Good morning." And a giggle.

"You're much less intimidating without your uniform." Mondo supplied as Ishimaru opened the door to his room.

"Believe me," Ishimaru sighed, "it wasn't my intention for _anyone_ to see me in this state of dress."

Mondo sat down on the edge of Ishimaru's bed as the other readied himself.

A glance in the mirror showed an extreme case of bedhead and a quick check confirmed that his breath could use much improvement. Once both problems had been taken care of, he returns to the bedroom. Dressing carefully, not wanting to muss his uniform, Mondo sighed.

"Gonna take all day, princess?" he asked lazily, flopping back on Ishimaru's bed.

"I'm hardly nobility." Ishimaru pointed out, buttoning his uniform.

"Ya might as well be. Stickler for rules and traditions enough for it."

"You have traditions you stick to as well, even if they're not the same as mine, I'm sure you take them as seriously as I." Ishimaru smiled. "Maybe you should add 'shouldn't put feet on the table' on your list of things you shouldn't do."

Laughing, Mondo stood. "You can't change me. Try all you want."

Heading towards the cafeteria, Ishimaru glanced at his watch again. It read 8:00. He'd been aiming for 7:30, but waking Mondo had been a bigger challenge than expected.

Once there, Ishimaru settled on toast with jam and an apple. Mondo only grabbed one piece of toast, plain, an uncharacteristic move, as he typically had a large breakfast.

As they sat down Aoi grinned and Sakura nodded her greeting and continued drinking her protein coffee.

Propping his feet up Mondo attempts to start a conversation with "So, Ishi wears Batman pajamas…"

Ishimaru coughs; surprised that Mondo would bring this topic up at breakfast.

"Oh, I saw!" Aoi gushed "You looked adorable." She said, turning to Ishimaru.

In turn, he glanced at Mondo and saw his expression soften as he said "Something like that."

"I don't believe that I gave you permission to address me as anything other than Ishimaru, Mondo." Ishimaru scolded, taking a bite of his apple. After chewing thoughtfully, he opened his mouth to speak again, "You may refer to me as 'Ishi' henceforth, although I'm not sure what spurred the sudden choice to give me a nickname."

"You think over everything way too much, that's your problem!" Mondo sighed. "Like putting your feet up on the table. It's really not a big problem. You make it out to seem like the world will end if my foot touches the surface of the table. We're still here, aren't we? Well, I won't be here for long, but whatever, it's not like…" his words drift off as Ishimaru stands from the table.

"How can you be so flippant? You're going to DIE, Mondo!" he shouted before exiting the cafeteria at a sprint.

"Ishimaru!" Mondo's chair wobbled as he pulled his legs off of the table.

It was as he left the cafeteria that everything came together. Realization hit Mondo full force. Ishimaru used order to keep himself sane. He kept especially within his boundaries and rules so that he felt familiar in despairing situations. Mondo's willingness to defy such tedious rules made Ishimaru worry for his safety, that realization allowed guilt to set in.

Realization in hand, Mondo caught up with Ishimaru, who had stopped at the end of the hall, his back to Mondo. Putting a hand on his shoulder, Mondo turned Ishimaru to face him. Ishimaru leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, face wet with tears.

Mondo followed suit, sitting next to Ishimaru He put his arm around Ishimaru as Ishimaru laid his head on Mondo's shoulder. "I'm sorry," Mondo apologizes, "I was thoughtless. Thinkin' things through isn't something I'm good at."

"I accept…" Ishimaru began, interrupted by Kirigiri walking by. She gazed at them curiously, but never said anything. "I accept your apology. I also must apologize for overreacting. I'm… I'm not ready to lose you. I've become accustomed to you, you are my first friend, and you're-you're…" he couldn't continue. The words which typically came as easily as reciting from rulebooks just couldn't complete the sentence as to how important Mondo was to him.

Mondo didn't second guess his next move until far too late. He turned towards Ishimaru and tilted his chin up with his free hand. The confused blinking turned to sudden realization as Mondo turned his head to the side and gave Ishimaru his first proper kiss.

He pulled away much sooner than he would have liked. Letting go of Ishimaru's chin, he concentrated on the bother boy's responses to calculate whether it was a positive experience on his part. Flushed cheeks and a hand to the mouth as if confirming that it had been his own lips being kissed made Mondo chuckle.

A spark of determination showed in Ishimaru's bright eyes a moment before he pounced on Mondo, covering his face with quick kisses.

He ceased raining kisses on Mondo's jaw when Togami appeared in the hallway, seemingly on time for once, as if he actually cared for the rules the other students had agreed on.

Sitting up, Ishimaru struggled to give a proper response "I apologize, Mondo. Although that was enjoyable, I really should have asked to-" He was shut up with another quick kiss.

"You're fine!" he elaborated "It was… memorable. Trust me, no apologies are necessary. If your apologies were kisses, though, they'd be welcome any time." He stood and dusted off his jacket.

Standing in his once-pristine white uniform, Ishimaru wiped the dust from the otherwise immaculate set of clothing.

"Your hair's a bit of a mess, again." Mondo snorts, running his hand through his hair, attempting to fix it.

"That couldn't have helped anything." He replied jokingly, running his own hands through his hair to fix it properly.

"I'm extremely helpful, actually." He countered. "Hey, let's go back to your room." Mondo suggested, planting a kiss on his neck.

"No! I have an obligation to be there at ten in the cafeteria, where we'd decided to meet daily." Ishimaru shrugged off Mondo.

"It's only, like, five-to-nine. Do you really want to sit in the cafeteria with Broody McNo Friends?"

Ishimaru let out an indignant snort. "You shouldn't talk about Togami like that! You should give each of your classmates the utmost respect."

"The only one worth respectin'," he paused momentarily, "would be you. I don't give a single fuck about anyone else right now."

Ishimaru opened his mouth to respond, thought better of it, and closed it again.

Mondo lead Ishimaru to his room while he was busy gaping like a fish.

"We must leave by 9:50 to make it on time." Was his only stipulation as he unlocked the door and led Mondo inside. "Take your jacket off." He requested once they were both in the room.

"Sure." Mondo obliged, grinning. Once it was off, Ishimaru took it from Mondo, put it on, and took in the musky odor he'd grown to love. "You're smellin' it?" he scoffed. "You're such a dork."

"I am not offended by your insult. I am merely appreciating your scent while I can." He responded automatically.

"It was less an insult and moreso a term of endearment. Because I love your dorky self."

Looking up from the patterns adorning Mondo's jacket, Ishimaru grinned "I adore you as well." He returned easily. He took the jacket off, placing it on the back of a chair, and sat on the bed, motioning for Mondo to join him.

They sat together playfully trading kisses and after a while, a particularly bruising bite above Ishimaru's collar bone ended that. Cuddling ensued for the remaining time, until Ishimaru noted that it was 9:50 and they were to report to the cafeteria to be on time.

A/N: I'm not too terribly pleased with this portion, to be completely honest. Part three will be up soon, and as always, fanart would be appreciated immensely.


	3. Part Three

All eyes were on the pair as they entered the room, on time. Ishimaru scratched the back of his neck. He wasn't used to attention being focused on him unless he asked for it or made his presence known. Hagakure gave Celes a five dollar bill; it seems he's lost a bet.

"What?" Mondo asked defensively, glaring at the others.

"Oh nothing, I'm sure." Celes gave a small smile.

At this, Togami stood "Certainly, the fact that you're a murderer is a problem here. I don't wish to be in the vicinity of someone whose only saving grace was the begging of a lovesick puppy."

As Togami attempted to leave, perhaps in favor of the library, Mondo stood in his way. "You can give me shit as much as you want, hell; I'm a dead man walking. We all know that But the second you insult Ishimaru to get your point across, you're done." He made as if to threaten Togami by cracking his knuckles, but Ishimaru put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I'm not hurt by Togami's words. "Ishimaru reassured Mondo. "Really, I wouldn't e surprised if that's how everyone saw me at the time. I was desperate and sad, not to mention despairing, which seems to have helped us in the long run, if I'm perfectly honest." Mondo couldn't really argue that. Their relationship had expanded a lot since the trial.

Standing down from the potential fight, Mondo took a seat beside Ishimaru and Naegi. Togami left as Ishimaru reprimanded Mondo for putting his feet up again.

Following a meeting wherein they discussed whether any new findings had cropped up, Ishimaru found himself being led to the pool by Aoi. The others among them were Sakura, Naegi, Mondo, and Kirigiri.

Protests on Ishimaru's part that he couldn't swim went unheeded. He doubted any of them took it seriously.

"There being a pool here makes me so happy!" Asahina was saying. "What would be the point of putting it on the second floor though? Unless it's really reinforced."

"Everything's reinforced here." Mondo pointed out. "I doubt you have anything to worry about, the pool won't go anywhere."

After hurrying to change, Ishimaru was the first at the pool. Asahina followed, took a running start which Ishimaru noted was potentially dangerous, and dove right in.

Taking note that swimming was Asahina's skill, he was impressed with her speed and talent. He sat poolside, feet in the water. As everyone else emerged changed, except Kirigiri who chose to sit in a spectator seat, Ishimaru noted that Mondo was missing.

"Go for it!" Asahina called over, and Ishimaru felt a shadow envelop him and heard pounding feet. Mondo leapt over Ishimaru's sitting frame and landed with a splash in the pool, drenching the others in the vicinity; Naegi and, of course, Ishimaru.

Sputtering indignantly about how many rules had just been broken, and how much of a safety hazard jumping over another student was, Ishimaru stood and shook his head in an attempt to dry. Of course, it had virtually no effect.

Before he knew it, there was a hand on his ankle, and he'd been pulled into the pool. Thrashing and flailing every which way, he gasped for air. Once he'd reestablished which direction was upwards, he held on to the side of the pool for dear life.

"Mondo!" He exclaimed angrily. "That was an extremely unsafe thing to do. I had made it perfectly clear previously that I'm unable to swim, why would you?"

"It was me, Ishimaru." Naegi confesses, disrupting Ishimaru's unfair assumption that Mondo had done it.

By now, Mondo was at Ishimaru's side and Ishimaru realized that he'd been shaking. "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked, helping Ishimaru out of the water.

"I really am sorry, Ishimaru." Naegi apologizes, frowning. "I shouldn't have done that, I didn't take your words from before seriously, I thought you were using it as an excuse not to come to the pool with us."

Shaking finally ceasing, Ishimaru looks up and meets Naegi's eyes. "I accept your apology. Please try to exercise greater care for the health and safety of those around you in the future.

Nodding, he turns around to join Aoi and Sakura in a race they all knew Aoi would win.

Turning to Mondo, he takes a breath and calms himself. "To answer your question, I'll be fine. I'm sorry for blaming you. I was under the impression that you'd pulled me under the water following your stunt jumping over me."

"No, it's fine. It's fine." He took Ishimaru's face in his hands. "Everything's fine as long as you're fine. I'll take you on your word." As Mondo kissed him, only for a moment, Ishimaru flinched and scooted backwards, face tinting red. Everyone else's eyes had gravitated towards them, and Ishimaru didn't like the attention.

As the others returned to their swimming activities and acted as if nothing odd had happened, Mondo climbed out of the pool. "What if I tried teaching you how to swim? Asahina would love to help you learn, I'm sure."

"I-If you wouldn't mind. I feel as if facing my prolem will help. I won't be weak again when faced with bodies of water." Ishimaru was determined now."Let's do it." he accepted, not one to turn down an offer meant to better him.

"Hey, Asahina!" Mondo called "Ishi wants to learn how to swim. Come and lend a hand?"

"Oh? For sure, I'd love to. Come over here, Ishimaru." She swam towards the shallow end. "You can stand here, see? No problem." He'd circled the pool with Mondo, and gingerly let himself in the water. Asahina came close, observing his hesitance in entering the water. "You need to be less tense. Or, try to be, anyway."

Ishimaru glanced over at Mondo for confidence, and straightened his posture letting out the pent-up tension.

"There you go!" Asahina grinned, "That solves your first problem. If you can relax in a pool, you'll be able to think logically and apply the knowledge of swimming that I'll teach you."

Mondo looked on as Ishimaru learned from Asahina, ocassionally stepping in to calm Ishimaru down or provide a second demonstration by the time the others wanted to end their poolltime, Ishimaru was able to swim, albeit with very little grace.

It was around 2:30 that the pair returned to Mondo's room, each with a towel to dry their hair with.

"You know," Ishimaru mused, anything but empty minded, "soon you'll be gone." He'd laid down on the unmade bed, breathing in the scent he'd surely grow to miss horribly. "Doesn't that scare you?"

"Honestly?" Mondo paused to think, "I'm pretty sure I'm more worried for your well-being. Nobody here will do this to you." He leaned towards Ishimaru, kissing him until air was an absolute necessity. "I am… I'm worried that you… that you'll get hurt when I'm gone. There's a real possibility of murder here. I would know; a prime example. I just wish I could leave with the knowledge that you'll e safe and sound, free to do your hall monitor thing without the threat of death following."

Pulling Mondo into the bed with him, he whispered "Worst comes to worst, I'll meet you in the afterlife."

Those words actually calmed Mondo a bit, until he pondered it for too long. If he were to meet up with Ishimaru in the afterlife, they could spend an eternity together. However, the looming shadow of doubt was strong when he wondered whether they'd go to separate afterlives. Mondo _was_ a murderer, after all. Two murders, really. That couldn't bode well.

"I wonder if Chihiro would forgive me. I-If I could meet him. In the afterlife, of course. Would he be angry at me for breaking my word as a man and killing him instead of training with him as I should've?" tears rolled down his face, unbidden. Naturally, Mondo powered through them and kept speaking. "I'm not strong. I shouldn't have been the one to trust. Chihiro had the decency to want to work against Monobear and accept his secret coming to light, content to let it be known as long as he could redeem himself. I… can't possibly redeem myself. Not before killing Chihiro, definitely not after. There's no way… I can't possibly be granted forgiveness. I have no way of redemption."

Ishimaru had patiently allowed Mondo's self-deprecating words flow freely. It had taken Ishimaru a long time to come up with suitably consoling words. While he'd been thinking, the two had become intertwined, hands locked, bodies at rest against each other as they lay side by side. Now, however, it was his turn. Consolation had never been a strong point, but he'd have to try anyway. "Kyodai, I'm positive that Chihiro has forgiven you. If not yet, soon. You took rash action. That can be forgiven. Everyone messes up. Let it also be known that Chihiro had to have realized what a risk he'd taken. This is a school of potential murder, after all." He looked over to Mondo, who'd ceased crying.

"C'mere, you." Mondo mumbled, sitting up and pulling Ishimaru into his lap, pressing his face to Ishimaru's neck. "Thank you. I really, truly, do not deserve you."

"Don't say that, Mondo!" Ishimaru scolded, "You deserve a lot more than you credit yourself for. In any case, I'm not an object you can deserve or not deserve. I'm a human being, not a prize of any sort."

"Actually," Mondo objected, "I think you're quite the prize. If we weren't stuck in a steel trap, I'd take you to a fair, we'd have a legitimate first date. Not just a singular last day." His face reddened a bit, he would have loved to take Ishimaru out time and time again. To stargaze, to ride on his motorcycle, Hell, even a study date would be so much sweeter than this bittersweet single day of a relationship. The two stay this way, rocking gently back and forth, each imagining scenarios where they could go on date after date and meet each other's families and do proper couple activities.

"No!" Ishimaru bolts up, out of Mondo's lap. "No, no, no, no, no…" he continually whispers. He stood, back facing Mondo.

"What is it?" Mondo places a hand on Ishimaru's shoulder.

"The time…" he whispers, leaning into Mondo's sturdy frame. Wrapping him in a hug, gently, Mondo glanced down at the watch that adorned Ishimaru's wrist. It read 4:07. Time had sped by and Ishimaru looked as if the world was going to end then and there.

"We have time." Mond danced lightly, moving from his right foot to his left, and back again. "Five… five and a half hours." Five and a half hours until his life ends.

The all-too-familiar jingle signaling an announcement went off then, as the screen upon the wall flickered to life. "A new area has been opened." Monobear announced, the screen dulled immediately after.

"What could this possibly be?" Ishimaru murmured.

"Nothing worse than what's in store for me later." Mondo took Ishimaru by the hand.

"The handbook." Ishimaru sounded puzzled. "it says the new area is a… a fairground. Over past the cafeteria, where the steel plates had been held over that exit."

"No way."


	4. Chapter 4

True to the school handbook, there was a fairground revealed at the end of the hall. It stood new, and, seemingly, unused. Knowing it couldn't bode well that fairs had been within their conversation before; Mondo was hesitant to pass through the doorway into the wide space. The ceiling was high, but just as enforced as anywhere else.

Ishimaru's eyebrows furrowed, "Why would this be here? It has no reason to be located within a school, and nothing has been done recently to allot a new area opening. From past experience, new areas are available only after the execution. That hasn't happened yet, of course."

"I'm thinkin' it would be Monobear's fault, actuall, nothing to do with the trials or execution. It's becaue of something I said. Somethin' about taking you on a proper date." Mondo pointed out, crossing his arms.

"I recall that conversation." Ishimaru assured, "I think it'd do well to explore the new area. I'm sure it could be considered a 'proper date' if you wanted it to be one."

Taking a step forward, Mondo nodded. "I'd really like that, actually." Reaching for Ishimaru's hand, the two entered the fairground and began an investigation.

Upon closer inspection, there were rides that worked on a timer, without any people around. There were also booths lined up with prizes to win for shooting targets and other skill games. No exits could be found, which wasn't a surprising development. After circling the entire fairground once, Mondo asked "So do you want to get some use out of this place?"

"That would be a valuable use of our date time." He answered honestly "Where would you like to start?"

"I want to spend time with you, I don't care where." The words escaped his mouth faster than he could stop to think them over. "Shit, that sounds really cheesy…" he scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.

"I think it's a sweet thing to say." Ishimaru confided. "How about you try to win a prize?"

Nodding his head, Mondo agreed. "I'll try to win you somethin' nice, okay?" he leaned over to give Ishimaru a quick kiss before leading him towards one of the skill games.

The strength tester was rigged, or so Mondo claimed. Ishimaru, however, got a higher score with his attempt.

"Now don't go thinkin' you're stronger than me." Mondo scolded, accepting the prize Ishimaru gifted him with, a large stuffed animal. "What am I even going to do with a teddy bear this large?"

"Use your superior strength to carry it with you." Ishimaru suggested before being pulled into a headlock, the stuffed bear ending up on the ground.

"How's this for superior strength?" he chuckled, holding Ishimaru there a moment before releasing him. As Ishimaru righted himself, the pair erupted into a bout of laughter. The rich tones of their laughter were so carefree; it was as if nothing could be the matter anywhere else.

"This way, Mondo." Ishimaru spoke up, wiping stray tears from their laugh attack away. There was a concessions stand that stood completely vacant of human observation, just as the rest of the grounds had been. Checking over the counter, he spotted his vice. "Mondo, would you care for some cotton candy?" he offered the sugar-filled treat to the other.

"Yeah, thanks." He responded, taking a chunk of the candy and popping it in his mouth. It was then that Ishimaru leaned in to initiate a kiss, reveling in the way Mondo reciprocated his affection so eagerly.

"I think I love you, Mondo." he whispered.

Mondo didn't want to say it. Rather, he wanted to with every fiber of his being, but he shouldn't. He shouldn't have allowed Ishimaru to get attached. Mondo would be gone soon; he couldn't let Ishimaru get even more attached. But he was selfish. He was the most selfish teenager ever. Or so he told himself. "I love you too." He choked out. "I love you so, so much, Ishimaru."

Taking another bite of cotton candy, the pair gravitated towards the rides.

Hours later, the two were making their way towards the exit, the door that led to the regular part of the school. As they made to step into the hallway, Monobear appeared.

"Would you look at the time?" the bear spoke cheerfully. "It's 9:40. And there's one last thing you have to do, Mondo."

Eyes downcast, Mondo followed Monobear back into the fairground. As this occurred, a prerecorded message began on the screens. "As you bastards know, we have an execution to go through with. Make your way to the fairgrounds. Directions are in your student handbook. I have the best execution yet set up."

As the screen blanks, Ishimaru let out a choked sob before composing himself. Naegi appeared next to him at the entrance and they stood in despair-ridden silence until all of the others where there as well.

"This way, students." Monobear appeared again, sans Mondo. He led them to a big metal cage that had been covered with a curtain previously.

Once everyone had been gathered behind a chain-link fence in perfect view of the cage, Mondo came into view.

He was on a bike Strapped to a bike, actually. His eyes met Ishimaru's and he gave a nod of acceptance. He was ready to face the music.

The bike accelerated quickly, and entered the cage. It spun all over, driving at high speeds and making circles.

Suddenly, the electricity began. Shockwaves and visible bolts sent gasps through the crowd of students, and a shout from Mondo as he got zapped made Ishimaru fall to his knees. Just as quickly, it was over. Mondo was gone.

Ishimaru wasn't. He was alive and well, screeching and sobbing and doing his best to deny what had occurred. He wept openly for a long while, lying on the concrete beside the gate, long after the other students had dispersed.

The only thing that motivated him to stand was a need to preserve Mondo's presence.

He made his way to Mondo's room and found it unlocked. Opening it, he went to the bed and collapsed. Only the faintest scent of the SHSL Gang Leader remained. Ishimaru didn't leave the room until the scent faded completely, along with his will to go on without Mondo.


End file.
